Inner wheel skirt reducing vehicle drag

An apparatus for reducing drag on a terrestrial vehicle in forward motion on a horizontal plane, said apparatus comprising:

• a non-horizontal inner wheel skirt panel disposed substantially parallel to a laterally innermost sidewall located below a midmost level of an axle of a laterally innermost wheel of a steerable front vehicle wheel assembly when the front wheel assembly is oriented for straight forward motion of the vehicle, said wheel assembly being connected to a vehicle steering wheel and disposed wholly on one lateral side of the vehicle;
• the wheel skirt panel disposed no further laterally apart from the innermost sidewall than two-thirds the lateral width of the wheel assembly wherein a laterally outermost forward-facing circumferential portion of the wheel assembly located immediately below a minimum panel downward level remains otherwise exposed to headwinds impinging thereon, said minimum panel downward level being positioned at an elevation above the bottom of the wheel assembly equal to one-third the diameter of the wheel assembly;
• a wheel proximate portion of the wheel skirt panel, said proximate portion being disposed immediately adjacent to the wheel assembly and extending downward to at least a minimum panel downward level positioned at an elevation above the bottom of the wheel assembly equal to one-third the diameter of the wheel assembly;
• the proximate portion of the wheel skirt panel furthermore extending downward to at least a sub-underside level, said sub-underside level being positioned at an elevation above the bottom of the wheel assembly equal to two-thirds of the respective elevation of an underside of the vehicle wherein said vehicle underside is located adjacent to the wheel assembly;
• a lowermost portion of the wheel skirt panel, said lowermost portion comprising contiguous surfaces of the wheel skirt panel located below an intermediate level wherein said intermediate level is positioned midway between the midmost level of the axle and the lowermost of either the minimum panel downward level or the sub-underside level;
• and
• any portion of said lowermost portion that is disposed forward of the wheel assembly and below the lowermost of either the minimum panel downward level or the sub-underside level being substantially exposed to headwinds impinging on lateral sides thereof.

A method for reducing drag on a terrestrial vehicle in forward motion on a horizontal plane, said method comprising:

• forming an inner wheel skirt that comprises:
• a non-horizontal panel disposed substantially parallel to a laterally innermost sidewall located below a midmost level of an axle of a laterally innermost wheel of a vehicle wheel assembly when the wheel assembly is oriented for straight forward motion of the vehicle, said wheel assembly being disposed wholly on one lateral side of the vehicle;
• the wheel skirt panel disposed no further laterally apart from the innermost sidewall than two-thirds the lateral width of the wheel assembly wherein a laterally outermost forward-facing circumferential portion of the wheel assembly located immediately below a minimum panel downward level remains otherwise exposed to headwinds impinging thereon, said minimum panel downward level being positioned at an elevation above the bottom of the wheel assembly equal to one-third the diameter of the wheel assembly;
• a rearmost portion of the wheel skirt panel disposed proximate to the wheel assembly and extending downward to at least the minimum panel downward level;
• the rearmost portion furthermore extending downward to at least a sub-underside level, said sub-underside level being positioned at an elevation above the bottom of the wheel assembly equal to two-thirds of the respective elevation of an underside of the vehicle wherein said vehicle underside is located adjacent to the wheel assembly;
• a lowermost portion of the wheel skirt panel extending forward of the axle, said lowermost portion comprising contiguous surfaces of the wheel skirt panel located below an intermediate level wherein said intermediate level is positioned midway between the midmost level of the axle and the lowermost of either the minimum panel downward level or the sub-underside level;
• and
• the lowermost portion of the wheel skirt panel furthermore extending no further forward of the wheel assembly than twice the diameter of the wheel assembly;
• and
• configuring the inner wheel skirt to inhibit substantial air displaced by the forward moving wheel assembly from freely passing laterally toward the inside of the innermost sidewall of the wheel assembly whereby
• when the vehicle is operated at 65 mph under null wind conditions any combined further increase in the overall extension of the inner wheel skirt or further decrease in the downward extension of the inner wheel skirt would further increase overall vehicle drag above a standard amount otherwise induced when the inner wheel skirt is otherwise absent from the vehicle.